


This is how the world sounds now

by 35391291



Category: The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Genre: Found Family, Friendship, Gen, borrower au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-17 01:35:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13648689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/35391291/pseuds/35391291
Summary: A borrower and a big man find their place in the world.





	This is how the world sounds now

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hummingbird_salt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hummingbird_salt/gifts).



> This story was inspired by Bekah's awesome [borrower AU](http://awesomemixvolume-2.tumblr.com/post/161558853077/mag7-borrowerau).

Understand, I’ll slip quietly  
away from the noisy crowd  
when I see the pale  
stars rising, blooming, over the oaks.

I’ll pursue solitary pathways  
through the pale twilit meadows,  
with only this one dream:  
You come too.

\- R. M. Rilke: Pathways.

*

Vasquez always stays in the shadows, always in the corners. He is always quick and quiet, almost invisible, and he knows why. There is a great big world out there, and he knows a thing or two about it. He's fought it and laughed at it, even taken some little bits of it for himself. And he isn't sorry about it. He had to. He may not be sure about the whole thing, but what he's seen of the world is ugly and unkind. This is how it is, and there is no other way. It's rough out there, for someone like him, and he wants to survive. He doesn't know why or what for. But there is a stubborn spark inside him, something small and fierce that keeps him going forward. And he holds on to it. Maybe something in this world will be worth it one day.

But in the meantime, the world doesn't care. It's rough and cruel. And he has to be careful. He has to be quick and he has to be smart. There are big noises and big hands, so many big things he can't fight against. There are moments when the night is endless, when the world is too big and too much, when the world wins. And it makes him angry, but all his rage put together is still not enough. It's small and meaningless, as if he didn't matter. As if he wasn't there at all.

And he hates this world. He wants to stand up and fight against it. To scream, to ask for something, to be heard. But the world always leaves him behind. It goes on without him. There is no place for him here. He doesn't belong.

The world is big. He is small. He can't take that risk. There is nothing out there that he can trust. Maybe not even the stars. They are beautiful, but so big and so bright, like fire, and he is afraid. He's been deceived by the world many times before. He's been hurt.

He walks through the world on his own. He doesn't need anyone. He is used to hiding, but maybe he's tired of that. Maybe he can allow someone to see him. He still isn't sure. But it might be different this time. Maybe he can breathe a bit easier for once.

The big man is called Faraday, and they meet by chance. Vasquez thinks no more of it. But then, their paths keep crossing. He is amused. And then he is intrigued. And he knows it goes both ways. So he sticks around for a while.

The big man gambles and drinks too much. He is careless and just a bit too loud. But he isn't cruel. Maybe he is just sad. Maybe he hates the world, too. And he doesn't want to trap Vasquez. He doesn't want anything. Maybe, just maybe, he only wants someone to listen. And Vasquez knows how that feels. So he sits with him. He listens. He shares the man's whiskey and tries to learn what it means to be heard. To be seen.

One day, the man starts bringing small, awkward gifts for him. Bits and pieces he's found or stolen. Things that are almost useless, almost wrong. A piece of cloth that's too long. A handful of shiny stones. A bit of string. A big man, going out borrowing. Vasquez has to hide his smile. It would be funny, if it wasn't so meaningful. So kind.

Vasquez could go straight back to the walls, back into hiding. It would be easier. Safer. And he wonders why he doesn't. Faraday's hands are big and clumsy, but they are careful, almost tender. At night, the way he breathes is a bit like thunder, but it reassures him. It means that it's safe to sleep, for once. And the fabric of his shirt is rough, but it feels right. It feels like home. Maybe this is why he stays.

Faraday never stays in one place for long. But that's OK. Neither does he. In the morning, Vasquez will go with him, safe and warm in his pocket. They will walk away from the big world, and into the wide open road. Even if he has nowhere else to go, this is his choice. Maybe he will see that there is some kindness, somewhere in this world. It's still a sad place, but maybe it won't win, for once. Maybe it's something that both of them need to know.

Sometimes the night is cold and it lasts forever. But then, Vasquez takes cover in Faraday's breast pocket, and his heartbeat is loud. It's like the heart of the earth, and it's right where he's supposed to be. Maybe he's found his place in the world, and this is where he belongs. There is a dream within him, safe and bright like the stars. It's that insistent, familiar spark. It's still there, and it says that maybe he can trust in it. Maybe he needs nothing else. Even the longest night can feel warm and right. This is how it is. This is how the world sounds now.


End file.
